A pensioner was seriously burned after her e-cigarette is thought to have ignited her oxygen supply in hospital.

Jean Booth, 65, was engulfed in flames on a ward at the Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, it was reported, and is fighting for her life after suffering severe burns to her scalp and face.

Mrs Booth was only in the hospital for a routine hip operation and hospital chiefs are investigating how the incident occurred in the early hours of Friday morning.

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Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, when Jean Booth set fire to her oxygen tubes with the e-cigarette

A recent study raises concerns that the 'healthier' option of e-cigarettes may still causes cancer in users

A relative of the retired cleaner told The Sun: 'We're all in total shock. Her face is completely burnt.

'It's covered up with bandages. She might be blinded. It's absolutely horrendous.

'We are not sure she will pull through. If she does she'll have to go through loads of skin grafts.'

A spokesman for the hospital said last night: ‘We can confirm that an incident involving one patient in our care took place in the early hours of Friday.’

Last week a barmaid was slightly injured when an e-cigarette blew up while it was being charged near the bar of a pub in Richmond, North Yorkshire. Laura Baty, 18, turned away from the flames but was left with a burnt dress and a singed arm.

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Around 1.3million people in the UK are thought to use e-cigarettes as consumers look for ‘healthier’ ways to continue smoking. Sales rose 340 per cent from £44million in 2012 to around £193million in 2013.

However, a recent study claimed that e-cigarettes may not actually be healthier than their tobacco counterparts.

Last week, barmaid Laura Baty, was burnt when her e-cigarette exploded while it was charging

Scientists found 'strikingly similar' gene mutations in lung cells of those exposed to e-cigarettes and those of traditional smokers.

‘[E-cigarettes] may be safer, but our preliminary studies suggest that they may not be benign,’ said study author Avrum Spira, a genomics and lung cancer researcher at Boston University.

Mr Spria, who presented the study’s findings at the American Association of Cancer Research’s annual meeting last week, said he could not confirm or deny that e-cigarettes cause cancer, as the research is in its early stages. Further experiments are planned.